Having staff that possess good literacy and numeracy skills is a crucial success factor for all businesses.

This page will help you find out more about skills issues in the workplace and offer advice, guidance and support on up-skilling your workforce.

What do you want to achieve?

Basic Skills courses are designed to reach adults who would like the opportunity to develop their maths and English skills.

Learners can study free of charge, up to the equivalent of GCSE level. This strategy is broad and inclusive as it aims to reach adults in the workplace. It is recognised that the rising demand for a skilled workforce in the workplace should be supported with appropriate training.

What is the impact of poor Basic Skills in the workplace?

There is a cost:

• To employers through high staff turnover and poor performance with an overall cost to the economy up to £10bn a year;
• To employees, as on average, those with poor skills can expect to earn 11% less than average.

Evidence suggests that poor literacy and numeracy skills:

• Cost firms of 51 to 100 employees up to £86,000 per year;
• Cost firms of 1,000 or more employees up to £500,000 per year.

(Source: DfES website)

How do you know if your staff need Basic Skills training?

Poor literacy, language and numeracy skills in the workplace can show themselves in a variety of ways.

Employees may need help with English and maths skills if they are:

• More prone to errors and sickness absence;
• Struggling with spelling when completing forms or reports;
• Unwilling to take responsibility, promotion or training opportunities
• Hostile to changes or introduction of new working procedures such as new technology or initiatives.

What is the benefit of tackling poor Basic Skills in the workplace?

Better literacy and numeracy will:

• Develop a more productive, effective and confident workforce;
• Reward employers with more satisfied customers and improved business performance;
• Equip employees with the skills the organisation needs them to have;
• Contribute to the workforce feeling more valued and recognised;
• Enable employees to have the confidence to take more responsibility for their work;
• Help to create an environment for better team working;
• Give employers greater confidence so they are better able to handle changes in the workplace.

Frequently asked questions

How much will the training cost?  
Level 1 and Level 2 training is FREE  

When and where does the training take place?  
Hugh Baird College will come to your organisation to conduct lessons that may be timed around shift patterns. The lesson times are planned around your needs.  

What will my staff learn?  
Training is based on your needs as an employer and may take the form of help with writing reports, understanding information, measuring skills or improving spelling. Once you have confirmed that this training is of interest to you, either call or email us (see contact details below)and we will organise a meeting to discuss and undertake a training needs analysis.  

Who can I speak to for advice or information on improving literacy and numeracy?  
To have an initial chat about how Hugh Baird College can help to improve literacy and numeracy in your workplace, contact:

Tel: (0151) 353 4456

E-mail: jennifer.norbury@hughbaird.ac.uk